Шеварднадзе: Россия спасла Саакашвили
By its latest actions, Russia has boosted the ratings of President Mikhail Saakashvili and rescued him from the fallout of the egregious mistake, for which he is responsible, of beginning "unprepared military actions against so-called South Ossetia," stated ex-president of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze on August 27 at a press conference in Tbilisi.
According to Shevardnadze, the categorical statements of the Russian leadership addressed to Saakashvili have boosted his ratings in Georgia "by ten fold," as the nature of a Georgian does not tolerate meddling in his affairs. "By recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia actually rescued Saakashvili from the fallout in Georgia itself of the egregious mistake he made of beginning military actions against so-called South Ossetia." In the opinion of the ex-president, as a result of this new turn of events, the US and Russia are not ready for a change of leadership in Georgia as they are now too busy resolving much more important issues.
Showing posts with label opinion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opinion. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Expert: Georgia spent twice as much on the war than Russia
Эксперт: Грузия тратила на войну в два раза больше России
The total outflow of capital from Russia during the period of military activities in South Ossetia amounted to $7 billion, said Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin to reporters. "$6 billion on Friday (August 8th) and $1 bllion on Monday (August 11th) -- this was currency which left Russia," said Kudrin.
The newspaper "Труд" ["Labor"] has estimated the cost of the war. Based on world market prices for weapons, the cost of one tank shell is $200, one artillery shell - $150, one grenade - $8, one thousand automatic rounds - $30, "Smerch" ["Tornado"] rockets - $2000, one aerial bomb - $3000. According to experts from the Center for the Analysis of Strategy and Technologies, the greatest expense of the military operation in the Caucasus was fuel -- no less than 1.2 billion rubles [~$49 million] a day.
Georgia lost no less than $200 million per day. But there is an important nuance. The Georgian military is funded entirely by the US: in 2007, Georgian military expenditures totaled $1 billion. Georgia does not have that much of its own money. It is also widely known that their purchases of military technology and weapons are not made at world market prices, but at a 50-80% discount. According to the experts, Ukraine, for example, sold Georgia the modern Su-25 planes (under Georgian classification, "Mimino") for $3 million, while their real price is $8-10 million.
"2 billion rubles per day -- this is the minimum that Russia paid for the war," Ruslan Pukhov directr of the Center for the Analysis of Strategy and Technologies told "Труд." Accordng to Pukhov, these are purely military expenses, but there are also expenses from providing humanitarian aid, which also come from the Ministry of Defense: evacuation and accommodation of refugees, their supplies, and medical aid. "However, our calculations follow the guidelines of standardized international methods," specified the expert. "This, for example, is the cost of putting a plane in the sky, the daily use of a tank, and of infantry fighting vehicles and ships, and fuel expenses."
IA Regnum
The total outflow of capital from Russia during the period of military activities in South Ossetia amounted to $7 billion, said Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin to reporters. "$6 billion on Friday (August 8th) and $1 bllion on Monday (August 11th) -- this was currency which left Russia," said Kudrin.
The newspaper "Труд" ["Labor"] has estimated the cost of the war. Based on world market prices for weapons, the cost of one tank shell is $200, one artillery shell - $150, one grenade - $8, one thousand automatic rounds - $30, "Smerch" ["Tornado"] rockets - $2000, one aerial bomb - $3000. According to experts from the Center for the Analysis of Strategy and Technologies, the greatest expense of the military operation in the Caucasus was fuel -- no less than 1.2 billion rubles [~$49 million] a day.
Georgia lost no less than $200 million per day. But there is an important nuance. The Georgian military is funded entirely by the US: in 2007, Georgian military expenditures totaled $1 billion. Georgia does not have that much of its own money. It is also widely known that their purchases of military technology and weapons are not made at world market prices, but at a 50-80% discount. According to the experts, Ukraine, for example, sold Georgia the modern Su-25 planes (under Georgian classification, "Mimino") for $3 million, while their real price is $8-10 million.
"2 billion rubles per day -- this is the minimum that Russia paid for the war," Ruslan Pukhov directr of the Center for the Analysis of Strategy and Technologies told "Труд." Accordng to Pukhov, these are purely military expenses, but there are also expenses from providing humanitarian aid, which also come from the Ministry of Defense: evacuation and accommodation of refugees, their supplies, and medical aid. "However, our calculations follow the guidelines of standardized international methods," specified the expert. "This, for example, is the cost of putting a plane in the sky, the daily use of a tank, and of infantry fighting vehicles and ships, and fuel expenses."
IA Regnum
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Shevardnadze: Saakashvili made a deadly mistake
Шеварднадзе: Саакашвили смертельно ошибся
The Georgian intervention in South Ossetia was a "deadly mistake." The opinion was expressed in an interview with the German newspaper Bild by Eduard Shevardnadze, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and former President of Georgia. According to him, the military operation was extremely poorly planned. "Georgia should not have entered Tskhinvali in such an unprepared state. This was a deadly mistake," stated Shevardnadze, noting that now the situation is very complicated, strained, and as to how it will be solved--it's not clear.
Shevardnadze expressed hope that negotiations between Mikhail Saakashvili and his Western partners will lead to an end in the conflict in the region. Earlier, in an interview with the newspaper Affairs, Shevardnadze expressed his opinion that the West should not intervene in the conflict, but provide only "psychological support" to Georgia. As the former President of Georgia, Shevardnadze has personal experience with the first Georgian intrusion into Abkhazia and the subsequent unsuccessful outcome of the Georgian-Abkhazian war in the early 90s, and it would have ended his own life if the Russian command hadn't intervened.
In his interview with Bild, Shevardnadze described the expansion of PRO [missile shield] as a new nuclear arms race.
...
IA Regnum
The Georgian intervention in South Ossetia was a "deadly mistake." The opinion was expressed in an interview with the German newspaper Bild by Eduard Shevardnadze, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and former President of Georgia. According to him, the military operation was extremely poorly planned. "Georgia should not have entered Tskhinvali in such an unprepared state. This was a deadly mistake," stated Shevardnadze, noting that now the situation is very complicated, strained, and as to how it will be solved--it's not clear.
Shevardnadze expressed hope that negotiations between Mikhail Saakashvili and his Western partners will lead to an end in the conflict in the region. Earlier, in an interview with the newspaper Affairs, Shevardnadze expressed his opinion that the West should not intervene in the conflict, but provide only "psychological support" to Georgia. As the former President of Georgia, Shevardnadze has personal experience with the first Georgian intrusion into Abkhazia and the subsequent unsuccessful outcome of the Georgian-Abkhazian war in the early 90s, and it would have ended his own life if the Russian command hadn't intervened.
In his interview with Bild, Shevardnadze described the expansion of PRO [missile shield] as a new nuclear arms race.
...
IA Regnum
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Expert: US intervention in South Ossetian conflict would mark the beginning of World War III
Эксперт: Вступление США в конфликт вокруг Южной Осетии стало бы началом третьей мировой войны
US intervention in the conflict surrounding South Ossetia would turn into a nuclear standoff. The comment was made by political scientist Alexander Dugin, leader of the International Eurasian Movement, during a live broadcast on O2TV in response to a question about the possibility of US intervention.
"In reality, it would be the beginning of World War III, a nuclear standoff, over these countries--Georgia, Ossetia, and Abkhazia--which America has no need of. They are very minor, peripheral, energy resource-deprived, and, as a matter of fact, they weren't planning on fighting for the sake of this swamp, these backwoods. Moreover, they recognize Russia as a regional power and want to give it to us in the nose in order to demonstrate that we're dung, and not a regional power, but in doing so, they are officially recognizing us. And they wouldn't stop to enter into World War III just to show that we are a "regional power, but not a very strong one, a sovereign country, but not quite." So, all of it was a bluff. They could try to threaten us, but in reality they haven't done anything. This hasn't happened yet because they depend on us in Afghanistan, you see; if we were to block deliveries of arms and equipment through the corridor, which only we control, then the situation would blow up. So even if the Americans were crazy, and they are not crazy, they wouldn't begin World War III. That is why in this respect, we are only at war with Saakashvili and the technical means which were already there. And other matters we'll deal with as they appear..." said Dugin.
Alexander Dugin noted that "during the conflict, military equipment from the US was brought there through Turkey and Ukraine. It's been proven beyond doubt, and we have the proof." "It's all been recorded, documented," he added.
"America is a rational country, and it can't show that it is handing over Saakashvili, even though they have supported him and stood by his side during this crime, expecting that Russia won't respond... But the most important and basic thing to remember is that a third world war and America's participation in this conflict was excluded from the very beginning, and our strategists knew it," stated Dugin.
IA Regnum
US intervention in the conflict surrounding South Ossetia would turn into a nuclear standoff. The comment was made by political scientist Alexander Dugin, leader of the International Eurasian Movement, during a live broadcast on O2TV in response to a question about the possibility of US intervention.
"In reality, it would be the beginning of World War III, a nuclear standoff, over these countries--Georgia, Ossetia, and Abkhazia--which America has no need of. They are very minor, peripheral, energy resource-deprived, and, as a matter of fact, they weren't planning on fighting for the sake of this swamp, these backwoods. Moreover, they recognize Russia as a regional power and want to give it to us in the nose in order to demonstrate that we're dung, and not a regional power, but in doing so, they are officially recognizing us. And they wouldn't stop to enter into World War III just to show that we are a "regional power, but not a very strong one, a sovereign country, but not quite." So, all of it was a bluff. They could try to threaten us, but in reality they haven't done anything. This hasn't happened yet because they depend on us in Afghanistan, you see; if we were to block deliveries of arms and equipment through the corridor, which only we control, then the situation would blow up. So even if the Americans were crazy, and they are not crazy, they wouldn't begin World War III. That is why in this respect, we are only at war with Saakashvili and the technical means which were already there. And other matters we'll deal with as they appear..." said Dugin.
Alexander Dugin noted that "during the conflict, military equipment from the US was brought there through Turkey and Ukraine. It's been proven beyond doubt, and we have the proof." "It's all been recorded, documented," he added.
"America is a rational country, and it can't show that it is handing over Saakashvili, even though they have supported him and stood by his side during this crime, expecting that Russia won't respond... But the most important and basic thing to remember is that a third world war and America's participation in this conflict was excluded from the very beginning, and our strategists knew it," stated Dugin.
IA Regnum
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Ukrainian experts asked: where are our special forces in Georgia a week since they left Kiev?
Украинские эксперты задались вопросом, куда делся отправленный из Киева в Грузию неделю назад спецназ
"Ukraine should remove its own soldiers, its own special forces from the conflict zone. I haven't heard anyone mention this," stated Vladimir Kornilov, director of the Ukrainian branch of the Institute of CIS Countries, on August 11th at a round table discussion of the topic "Caucasian Go: How might the war between Georgia and Russia affect Ukraine," reports an IA Regnum correspondent in Kiev.
"And we should consider whether or not it was an accident that Ukrainian special forces were sent there a week before the conflict. A rather strange occurrence. And the fact that Ukrainian citizens are in this conflict zone should be a cause of alarm to all citizens of Ukraine," said the political scientist.
In Kornilov's opinion, "Ukrainian citizens are in danger." "In fact, we know very well that if armed men are located in the epicenter of conflicts, they can voluntarily or involuntarily become participants in war activities. And it will amount to the direct participation of Ukraine in the armed conflict in the Caucasus," emphasized the expert.
IA Regnum
"Ukraine should remove its own soldiers, its own special forces from the conflict zone. I haven't heard anyone mention this," stated Vladimir Kornilov, director of the Ukrainian branch of the Institute of CIS Countries, on August 11th at a round table discussion of the topic "Caucasian Go: How might the war between Georgia and Russia affect Ukraine," reports an IA Regnum correspondent in Kiev.
"And we should consider whether or not it was an accident that Ukrainian special forces were sent there a week before the conflict. A rather strange occurrence. And the fact that Ukrainian citizens are in this conflict zone should be a cause of alarm to all citizens of Ukraine," said the political scientist.
In Kornilov's opinion, "Ukrainian citizens are in danger." "In fact, we know very well that if armed men are located in the epicenter of conflicts, they can voluntarily or involuntarily become participants in war activities. And it will amount to the direct participation of Ukraine in the armed conflict in the Caucasus," emphasized the expert.
IA Regnum
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